How to Cook Corn on the Cob

Every year in September, we go to the Permian Basin Fair and Exposition in Odessa, Texas. This 9-day event keep us busy for at least two or three days, riding carnival rides, seeing the live music, visiting the vendors, and eating. Oh, how I love when the fair comes to town, because I get to eat all those horrible things that taste oh-so-good, that I don't let myself eat during my normal healthy lifestyle.

Yes, I pay for it, but it's so worth it! Funnel cake with pecans and powdered sugar and cinnamon. Candied apples. Fried whole curled potatoes. Roasted turkey legs. Sausage on a stick. Roasted corn.

My favorite is the roasted corn. The vendors take the entire ear of corn, roast it in big ovens, peel back the husks when finished to make a handle to hold the corn with, and then dip the entire ear of corn into a vat of melted butter. A little swirl around, hand it to me, and let me season it with the big seasoning bottles of cayenne, garlic, salt and pepper. Oh. Yummy.

But this gets me to thinking about all the different ways we make or can make corn on the cob at home. I realize I don't cook corn on the cob often enough, so I scoured the grocery store to find some good ears of firm and fresh corn--the firmer it is the sweeter it will be--and set out to try various ways of cooking it to see which I liked best.

Below, I will list my favorite corn on the cob cooking lessons, from my least favorite way to prepare it to my favorite way. If you're wanting to cook corn on the cob, this article will show you:

How to Cook Corn on the Cob - Boiled

Boiled corn on the cob is my least favorite way to cook corn on the cob. The fleshy part of the corn kernels gets boiled, making it less firm and crisp, and less crunchy when you bite into the corn. It also boils out a lot of the nutrition from the corn, making the corn less healthy. Still, if you really want to boil corn on the cob, it's not hard to do.

Simply fill a deep pan with water, enough to cover the ears of corn you're putting in the pan, and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add a pinch or two of salt, and then add the peeled/husked and cleaned corn on the cob. Continue boiling for up to 10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Remove the corn from the water and serve with butter or salt or other spices.

How to Cook Corn on the Cob - Microwaved

Microwaving corn is a close second in my 'least favorite' way to cook corn on the cob. Cooking corn on the cob in the microwave usually results in the corn becoming tough and not as juicy as when you use other methods to cook corn on the cob. One trick to helping prevent drying of the corn while microwaving is to cook the corn on the cob in the microwave while the corn is still in the husks. You can take damp paper towels and wrap them around the corn husks to add moisture to the cooking. Cook in the microwave on high heat, while wrapped in the husks and paper towels for about 7 minutes. Turn the corn one half turn, and then cook for another 7 minutes, depending on your microwave.

Remove from the microwave, let cool, then husk the corn on the cob and clean it. Get a deep plate that is microwave safe and put some butter on the plate. Place the corn on the cob on the buttered plate, and stick both in the microwave for about two minutes to reheat the corn or until the butter is melted. Drain the plate and serve with your favorite corn on the cob spices.

How to Cook Corn on the Cob - Steamed

If you have a steamer, then you would simply follow the instructions on how to prepare corn on the cob steamed for your steamer. If you don't have a steamer, but have a steaming pan, then you can heat the water below the steamer tray, and then add the corn to the steamer tray and cook for about 15 minutes, turning at least once. If the pan is covered while steaming, you shouldn't really need to turn the corn though.

If you don't have a steamer pan, you can use any wire stand that fits inside of the pan, fill the bottom with water, place the tray in the pan, add the corn to the top of the tray, and cover. The steam and heat will be retained inside and the corn on the cob will cook this way.

This is similar to the boiling method, but it doesn't make the corn as soft (good, crunchy steamed sweet corn on the cob) and it helps keep more of (but not all) of the natural healthy aspects of the corn on the cob.

How to Cook Corn on the Cob - Grilled or BBQed

This is, by far, my favorite way to make corn on the cob. You can make it in the husks or wrap it in foil in or out of the husks. My favorite way is to make it with the husks on, wrapped in foil. I'll discuss both ways though.

If you're cooking the corn on the grill without husks, you'll want to wrap it in foil, add spices and butter and one ice cube to the foil pack and place on the grill, close to the dying coals, after you've cooked your meats, or after the fire has died down from cooking meats. In fact, we've put the foil wrapped corn and potatoes directly into the coals before too. The ice cube will melt and help 'steam' the corn inside the packet.

If you're cooking the corn on the grill with husks, you can still wrap it in foil, if you want, but you can skip the butter. Husks on the corn doesn't really require the foil, but you can wrap it in foil if you'll be close to the coals or wood and don't want the corn husks to catch on fire.

Once the corn has cooked until it is soft and gives a little to the touch, you can unwrap the foil and/or husk the corn on the cob. Then, get your grill flame up a little again (sometimes a spritz of water or gust of air can fan the embers to flame a little), and add your husked and mostly cooked corn back on the grill. Coat the corn on the cob with a basking brush full of melted butter and salt, and leave on the grill until the corn picks up the smoky flavor of being BBQed and gets those lovely grill lines that show it is authentically grilled corn on the cob.

Serve with melted butter and spices and a nice hunk of grilled meat or grilled shrimp, (you can read my two other articles about grilling for more information on those) and you have an awesome summer or spring grilled meal, complete with exceptional corn on the cob.